What's for Dinner Tonight? - Stuffed Pepper Soup

From the Dartmouth Hitchcock Newsletter, this soup comes courtesy of Heather E. Wolfe, MPH, RDN, LD, CHC. It can be made in an Instant Pot, regular slow cooker or on the stovetop. This soup is very easy to make and ends up tasting like a mild stuffed pepper. You can spice it up with some hot sauce if you prefer more heat.

Serves: 6
Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 ½ cups water

1 pound lean ground beef or soy crumbles (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomato

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

Cheddar cheese, optional garnish

Hot sauce, optional for adding spicy heat

1. Add rice and water to Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 20 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release (note: you can use the rice setting for white or parboiled rice.) For stovetop rice, bring rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepot, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. After cooking rice, remove it from its pot and set aside.
2. Optional step: If using ground beef, brown in the Instant Pot using the sauté function or on the stovetop in a skillet. Drain off any grease. Soy crumbles can be added directly to a slow cooker without browning.
3. Into the bowl of the Instant Pot, slow cooker or soup pot, add oil, onion, peppers, salt, cumin, paprika, black pepper, garlic, tomato, black beans and broth. Mix in beef or soy crumbles if using.
4. In the Instant Pot, use the slow cooker function and cook on “normal” (low) for 5 to 6 hours or on “more” (high) for 2½ to 3 hours. If cooking on the stovetop, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Mix in cooked rice, and if needed, warm a few more minutes until rice has reheated. Top with shredded cheddar, if desired. Jazz up with some hot sauce, to taste, if you find it’s on the mild side.

Nutrition facts per serving without optional ingredients: Calories 250, Total Fat 3.5g, Saturated Fat 0.5g, Carbohydrates 45g, Fiber 8g, Protein 8g, Sodium 500mg